RALEIGH, N.C. -- It seems the Triangle is at the top of every list imaginable. It is called one of the best places to live and the economy has been praised. Now, the area is being touted as a hotbed of creativity in a new book.

Author Richard Florida said the N.C. Museum of Art's plans for an art park are the kind of thing that continues to attract the best and brightest to the region.

The book, "The Rise of the Creative Class," ranks the Triangle among the top 6 cities and regions in the country for being the kind of place that attracts creative people.

The author was in Raleigh this week to point to one prime example of what puts the area near the top.

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The North Carolina Museum of Art unveiled plans for a new art park on 164 acres surrounding the museum. When complete, the park will be the first of its kind in the country.

Author Richard Florida said the museum's plans are the kind of thing that continues to attract the best and brightest to the region.

"The ability to combine outdoor recreational assets with art and a kind of creative stimulation is an enormous plus. If you can connect that with your urban fabric through trails and green ways, you have a big win-win," Florida said.

Many who visit existing walking trails agree.

"This really will be a magnet for all kinds of people and I just think it's incredible," resident Kelly Branson said.

Florida defines the "creative class" as more than just musicians, artists and writers. He includes research scientists, software engineers at SAS Institute (shown) and anyone who uses creativity as a key factor in their work.

Florida defines the "creative class" as more than just musicians, artists and writers. He includes research scientists, software engineers at SAS Institute and anyone who uses creativity as a key factor in their work.

In the Triangle, Florida said the creative class accounts for two-thirds of the economy. Catering to their lifestyle interests, he claims, is vital to the region's future.

"And that will position you to compete better for people, generate more companies and grow your economy," Florida said.

Gone are the days when metro areas can count on big companies attracting people, according to Florida. He said now it is creative pools of talent that attract employers and cultural amenities that attract and retain the economy's movers and shakers.

"Certainly, what we're doing here is creating a great natural resource and recreational resource that we think will appeal to what he has labeled as the 'creative class of people,'" said Larry Wheeler, N.C. Museum of Art director.

In the book, the Triangle, ranked No. 6, is in company with cities like Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston and New York.

The author points to Chapel Hill's No. 6 ranking in Rolling Stone magazine as the best college music scene in the country as another example of what sets the area apart.

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What I wonder is why Raleigh-Durham is considered a haven for the creative class. I mean, is it just the prescence of world-class universities? What else is there? Raleigh's downtown is pretty anemic, if not outright sickly, and the city and nearby towns are just a mess of sprawl.

I mean, Charlotte has more going on downtown. Yeah, they bulldozed the majority of their historic buildings, but they're replacing the parking lots that replaced their history with quality smart growth that will enliven the central city for decades to come... while nothing much is going on in Raleigh.

Asheville has a more vibrant central city than Raleigh, and the arts, which according to Florida are so important to the "creative class" are one of our economic mainstays here. They pump about 62 million dollars into the local economy every year.

Winston-Salem's downtown is more vibrant than Raleigh's, and Winston's fast becoming a larger, grittier of Asheville.

Wilmington, a sort of "Asheville-by-the-Sea" has history and the arts...

So, what is it about Raleigh that makes it a hit with the creative class? Can it just be the universities? From what I've seen, Raleigh is a suburban city like any other with a sleepy, sluggish downtown and not a lot going on anywhere. It looks to be a city where the people drive more than they walk and are just fine with that. It doesn't look to be a hotbed of liberal thinking or alternative lifestyles the way Asheville is, so I wonder... what's so creative about Raleigh?

Or is Raleigh riding on the coattails of Chapel Hill, which almost makes Asheville look like Bush country by comparison? What's the deal?

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NC, in general, is a remarkable place for the "creative class". Pick your place. You can't go wrong, IMHO. Asheville, Winston, Chapel Hell, Durham, Wilmington...I put NC up against any state for this kind of diversity any day. IMHO, North Carolinians spend way too much time beating each other up (regionally) instead of stopping for a moment, standing in awe of what we have, and then moving forward to kick some ass.

The posers on this site from Georgia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, and San Francisco haven't got a clue about NC, but this is an asset. The quiet man will succeed when others have run fallow.

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Well said, UrbanDesigner!!! Even though I am not a native North Carolinian, I feel like one. North Carolina has many great assets, including its people. From the mountains to the coast, NC has so much to offer in diversity and culture that it would require most of us to take frequent stops and observe this state's soul unfolding in front of us. True, we are not really the No 1 on most things, but diversity is not about being No 1; it is more about offering a little bit of everything. Once this state creates the urban fabric it needs (at least in its major cities), we may see a lot more [positive] diversity and growth.

Thanks for the wonderful posting, UrbanDesigner... it really inspired me.

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Guest donaltopablo

Guest donaltopablo

Stereotypes on these boards can be downright awful. But I've seen the door swing both ways. I've seen a lot of southern forumers attack northern cities for being "old, population loosing industrial towns", etc, etc. Personally, I think it's rather childish that people continue with those ways of thinking and certainly one thing I am glad I see a lot of here at SSA... lack of stereotyping (jokes about Atlanta aside, LOL).

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I'm amazed by the literal bloodbath over at the other site. The problem I've noticed is that "facts" can be manipulated and interpreted in a number of ways. I think (hope) that people on this site understand this more than the animals over there...

One thing...how about these "opinions" about places? I, for one, would like to see more myths and stereotypes blasted away on these pages and see these forums as an opportunity to learn about what's happening in cities across the country, and maybe give people who can't otherwise travel to our cities, the opportunity to "visit" them through our eyes.

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The posers on this site from Georgia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, and San Francisco haven't got a clue about NC, but this is an asset. The quiet man will succeed when others have run fallow.

LOL! You are 38 and have never been to Chicago, Minneapolis, or San Fran. so why talk crap. I bet you feel confident talking crap on a forum which is dominated by people from NC. It's obvious that you already have your little following.